


The Supernatural Misadventures of the Mystery Skulls

by nanayoung



Category: Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: Action/Adventure, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-17
Updated: 2016-11-18
Packaged: 2018-08-31 11:21:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8576545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanayoung/pseuds/nanayoung
Summary: A series of one shots about the various adventures the Mystery Skulls have after all the big bads have been defeated and the misunderstandings cleared up. Little to no angst included, just humor and fluff.





	1. Why Mystery And Lewis Aren't Allowed To Group Up With Each Other

**Author's Note:**

> Wherein Vivi and Arthur get into some serious demonic trouble while Lewis and Mystery mess around.

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Vivi squealed.

"Vivi, stop taking pictures and run!" Arthur dragged her by her arm as they sprinted down the dark hallway, the insect demons right on their tail.

"But they're so fascinating! How did they even get here anyway?" Vivi was running while holding up her camera, still taking pictures of the demons they were trying to escape from. "I've never heard of demons who had this physical shape!"

"Does that really matter right now?! And put your camera down!" He snatched the camera from her grip, prompting a loud "Hey!" in response. "I refuse to get eaten by overgrown bugs, okay! I am not coming back to life as a ghost just so I can take my revenge on every bug I see!"

"Arthur, the chances of someone becoming a vengeance ghost are a million to one! You know that as well as I do that it takes special circumstances --"

"ARE WE _SERIOUSLY_ STILL TALKING ABOUT THIS?" He yelled. One of the demon bugs lunged for his robot arm. "Oh fuck! Get it off, get it off!" He slammed his arm into the side of the wall until the thing became dazed, and then smacked it off. He examined his arm while sprinting, noting that the damn thing managed to claw its way into some of the inner workings. "Aw man! This is going to take me weeks to fix!"

  
The two of them made their way down another hallway only to reach a dead end. The snarling and screeching of the demon bugs were coming closer.

"This is not how I thought I was going to die," Arthur muttered.

 

~~~~~~~Meanwhile~~~~~~~

 

Lewis idly set another group of the demon bugs on fire and phased through the few that managed to reach him. The little things had set their sights on the two of them from the moment they entered the abandoned building and for the past few minutes he spent his time burning any demon that got in his way. **"Hey Mystery, have you ever seen demons like these before?"**

Mystery shook his head, tails whipping through hordes of the little things. He barked and bit down on a particularly large one, swallowing it in a gulp. The kitsune almost immediately got a disgusted look on his face and started gagging.

Lewis laughed, his ghostly voice making it come out much more sinister than he intended. Mystery glared at him, barely paying attention to the demon that launched itself at him. He idly swatted it out of the air with a tail.

The two of them were making good progress and had managed to investigate several of the rooms for clues. They didn't find anything so far, but Lewis felt that it would only be a matter of time before they figured out where all of these monsters were spawning. He wasn't as well versed in magic and summoning like Vivi was, so he couldn't tell off the bat just what was making these things. At the same time, he was pretty sure that there was either someone or something making these things. Then again...

**"What are the chances that these demons are just giving birth really, really fast?"**

Mystery looked like he was considering that for a moment, ducking down when Lewis sent a surge of ghostly fire at the bugs coming towards them. He made a considering sound with his mouth before shrugging.

**"Ugh, I was afraid you'd say that. Well, let's just hope that there is something making these things or else we'll be here for a while."**

Mystery barked in confirmation, the shockwave of the sound sending several of the demons flying into the air, allowing Lewis to shoot them with fire. He repeated the motion again and the two of them made a game out of it, with Lewis trying to see how many he could take out before they hit the ground.

**"I hope Arthur and Viv aren't having trouble though. You feel anything their way?"**

Mystery shook his head and patted Lewis on the leg with his front paw.

**"Yeah, you're right. They'll probably be fine."**

 

~~~~~~~Meanwhile~~~~~~~

 

"Oh fuck, they're chewing through the tree!"

"Keep climbing!"

The two human members of the Mystery Skulls frantically climbed the branches of the tree they were on, all the while the demons chewed through the base with the intent of making it fall over. Already Arthur could feel the tree starting to tip.

"Ohmanohmanohmanohman--"

"Arthur, there's no need to panic!" Vivi flashed him a thumbs up. "We'll be perfectly fine!"

Almost as though on cue, the base of the tree started cracking. The tree slowly began to tip over.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" They screamed. The bug demons roared in triumph.

 

~~~~~~~Meanwhile~~~~~~~

 

Mystery's ears perked up and he looked off into the distance. Lewis, noticing the look of concentration on the kitsune's face asked, **"Is there something wrong? Did you hear something?"**

The mystical animal stayed in that position for a moment, before shaking his head. He barked.

 **"Well alright."** Lewis shrugged before grinning down at him. **"The guy who kills the most demons wins?"**

Mystery nodded, flashing him a toothy smile. He crouched down on his hind legs and growled.

  
**"Ready... set... go!"**

 

~~~~~~~Meanwhile~~~~~~~

 

"Okay, Arthur. I think we lost them."

The two of them were hiding in the building's basement. Up above them they could still hear the sounds of the bugs skittering around the place, searching for them.

"Oh thank God." He slid down the wall and sat on the floor. "My legs feel like noodles, Viv. I don't think I can run anymore."

Vivi sat down with him, wiping her sweaty forehead with her torn sleeve, getting a bit of dirt on herself. "Same here. Those things are persistent. I wonder who summoned them?"

"Well whoever did really, really, _really_ , does not want us here." His now mangled robotic arm made a clanging noise when it hit the cement floors. "Where are Lewis and Mystery?"

Vivi looked sheepish. "I... uh..."

Arthur closed his eyes and -- knowing that he wasn't going to like the answer -- asked anyway. "Vivi, what did you do?"

"Weeeeeelll, there was this spell I found from that old book we got off of a cult. You remember the one?"

"Which one? You're gonna have to be specific."

  
"The one that tried to summon that cow deity."

Arthur immediately knew what she was talking about, the memory of the event making him chuckle. "Oh yeah, those guys. Man that was a weird case."

"Yeah. I can't believe they mistook Mystery for a cow. He looks nothing like one!" Vivi shook her head. "Well anyway, one of the cult members had this big book of spells in it and I decided to try them out!"

Arthur looked apprehensive. "...and?"

"None of them worked. Which was weird, since I did everything the book told me to, but nothing happened! Like, I didn't expect all of the spells to work for me, but I wanted to have at least one!"

"What does that have to do --"

"Well, I _thought_ none of them worked. But if the hunch I had was right then it might explain why Mystery and Lewis haven't come for us yet." Vivi sat up. "You see, there was this one spell that I thought would come in handy. I can't quite remember the name of it, only that it was supposed to protect the user from supernatural senses. I figured that I might as well try it out before we went on the case and..."

Arthur immediately figured it out. If the spell was in affect then that meant she couldn't be sensed by Mystery through their weird mind link thingy. Which meant that he didn't know she was in trouble.

"But wait, what about Lewis? He should be able to sense me since I have his heart locket." Arthur fished the thing out of his pocket, thankful that he didn't lose it in the chase. He had seen how mad Lewis could get the last time someone touched the thing without his permission and it was not pretty. He almost felt sorry for the cult members that tried to break it, if they weren't too busy trying to sacrifice him at the time.

  
She gave a nervous chuckle, not meeting his eyes. "Well, I wasn't sure if the spell just didn't work for me. So I tried it on you when you were asleep!"

"Viv, what the fuck?!"

"Well, I needed to test the spell on someone and I wasn't sure how it would affect Lewis and Mystery. And I knew you wouldn't go for it so --"

She was unable to continue her rapid explanations at the face of Arthur's justified anger because it was at that moment that the demons found the basement.

 

~~~~~~~Meanwhile~~~~~~~

 

Lewis's head shot up at the sound of a pair of screams. It sounded like it was coming from below them!

 **"Shit!"** He reached out towards Mystery and the animal immediately turned back onto his dog form, a panicked look on his face. The ghost turned the two of them intangible and sunk through the floor, straight in the direction that the screams were coming from.

He took in the situation -- Lewis and Vivi banged up in the corner, surrounded on all sides by the demon bugs -- before filling the room with bright purple flames.

 

~~~~~~~Meanwhile~~~~~~~

 

It happened so fast that Arthur barely had time to blink. One second they were surrounded, the next everything turned purple.

The demons were gone, burned to ash. The room was almost completely scorched, with the occasional purple flame bringing here and there. At the center of it was Lewis in all his skeleton ghost glory, holding Mystery.

Arthur had never been so glad to see a ghost in his life.

"Lewis! Mystery! You came!" Vivi said.

 **"Yeah, we heard you guys screaming from above. What happened?"** Lewis set Mystery down, who immediately went over to his owner and started licking her face. He reached out a hand and pulled Arthur up, checking him over like the worried mother hen he was. **"We didn't even know you were in trouble!"**

The mechanic immediately pointed at the culprit. "It's all Vivi's fault."

"Arthur, you traitor!"

 

~~~~~~~Two hours later~~~~~~~

 

Arthur kept his eyes on the rode as he drove the van with one arm. "New rule, guys. From now on, Lewis and Mystery are not allowed to be split up together, they have to be paired with either me or Vivi."

"Bark?"

**"Wait, what did we do?"**

"You guys didn't do anything. Me and Viv, however, are sitting ducks whenever some new monster of the week comes crawling. I can't fight and Vivi can't do magic to save her life --"

"Hey!"

"--so one of you is gonna have to be with us, just in case shit goes down and we need to fight something. Cool?"

"Bark, bark!"

**"I don't mind."**

"Hmph!"


	2. Why Lewis Isn't Allowed To Talk or Laugh In Public

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its strange how people can get used to the most unusual things. So much so that they come to see it as completely normal.

There were a lot of things the gang had gotten used to over time. Things that they once considered strange or abnormal -- like Mystery being a kitsune or Lewis being a ghost or Arthur technically being a cyborg -- were now considered everyday aspects of their lives. And as a direct result of this, they no longer noticed when one of their members was doing something others considered strange. 

Case in point: the day they had lunch at Mackey's Diner. 

Mackey's was their go to place to get something to eat, mainly because it was the only place that allowed the gang to bring Mystery in to eat with them. They also had incredible food with reasonable prices, which was always a must be when it came to their line of work. Money was kind of tight at the best of times, considering that paranormal jobs were few and far between.

Despite how many times they used to come to the place in the past, today was the first time they actually sat down and ate at the diner in several years. Lewis's recent passing, then resurrection as a ghost, the Big Bads that tried to turn them against each other, and the sudden influx of cases had made them really busy. It was very likely that they would have forgotten about the place if Lewis hadn't suggested it one day while they were in town. 

Vivi and Mystery were stuffing their faces like no tomorrow, acting as though they hadn't eaten in weeks. Beside them were several empty plates that used to be full of food. Arthur was talking about a new movie that was out to a humanoid Lewis, who was pretending to sip out of a glass of water. He was listening in amusement as Arthur ranted about how the movie was a "sin against the genre" and stuff like that.

A waitress walked up to their table with two more plates of food. "Here you go guys. The rest of it is on the way." Seconds after she placed the food on the table, Vivi and Mystery were gobbling it up. 

"Jeez, guys. Slow down a bit, the food isn't going anywhere," Arthur said. He was watching the two of them eat like a pack of wild animals in horrified fascination. "How have neither of you choked to death yet?" 

The waitress chuckled. "My two sons eat the exact same way. Was there anything else that you two needed?" she said, gesturing towards Arthur and Lewis. "I know blondie over here ordered something, but what about you?" 

 **"No thanks, I'm fine,"** Lewis said politely. 

The waitress jerked back and stared at him. "Um, what?" 

Lewis turned towards her, looking directly into her eyes. For some reason, she started to get paler. **"I don't want to order anything. I already ate."**

"O-oh, uh, okay. Sure." The waitress gave him a wary look before practically sprinting back to another table. 

Lewis was a bit confused as to what happened. **"What was that about?"**

Arthur grinned at him. "I dunno, Lewis. She looked like she saw a _ghost_." 

Lewis rolled his eyes. **"Hilarious."**

"Hey, Lewis. I gotta joke for you." 

**"No, Arthur."**

"Come on. I've been looking online for some really good ones and I wanna tell them to you!" 

Lewis sighed. He knew that his best friend was going to bug him about this forever if he didn't agree. **"Fine, go ahead."**

Arthur's phone was out and on the table before Lewis could finish speaking. "Great! So Lewis: Do you know what the death rate around here is?" 

**"No. What?"**

"One per person. Eh? Eh?" 

**"That was pretty lame."**

"Well, I only just started, dude. Here's another one. What's the difference between death and sex?" 

**"What?"**

"Death you can do alone without _anyone_ laughing you." 

The ghost chuckled and shook his head. **"Jeez, Arthur..."**

He kept going. "Paddy was rather sad after viewing the body of a dead atheist. She said, 'There we was, all dressed up and nowhere to go.'"

**"Are _all_ of these about death?" **

"No! Some of them are about ghosts too." 

**"Well how about I give you one. What's the best way to get rid of a demon?"**

"...what?" 

**"You exercise it."**

"Dude, not cool." 

**"What, and you telling me _death related jokes_ was?" **

"That's totally different," Arthur insisted. 

**"Really? How."**

"You're not dead." 

Lewis could not believe this. **"I'm not dead. _Really_."**  

"No, you're not. And you know why? It's because you used to be a cashier." 

**"What does that have to do --"**

Arthur leaned forward with a huge grin on his face. "And cashiers never die. They just _check out._ " 

Maybe it was because he really didn't see that pun coming. Or maybe it was because of Arthur's shit eating grin. Either way, Lewis could not stop himself from laughing out loud. 

Arthur sat back, looking extremely pleased with himself. He was about to let out another pun -- this time ghost related -- when he noticed how quiet the restaurant was. He looked up only to see everyone in the diner had stopped talking and were staring at Lewis with the most freaked out expressions on their faces. What was -- 

Oh. 

The thing about being a ghost was that Louise couldn't hide everything. Yeah he could take on his old human form and everything, but there were a few things that he never seemed to be able to change. One was his eyes and the other was his voice. 

His very demonic, very _echoy_ voice. That sounded like several people talking all at once, while dozens of other people screamed in the background. The voice that almost cause him to piss his pants when he first heard it... not that he would ever admit it. 

"Uh, Lewis." 

**"Hahahahahahaha..."**

"Lewis." 

 **"W-what?"** The ghost sat up, struggling to hold his chuckles in. 

"Dude --" 

"Excuse me sir, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave." The manager had walked up to their table when the four of them hadn't noticed. He was wearing a stern expression on his face. "You're disturbing the customers." 

 **"Me?"** Lewis pointed at himself. The manager flinched, but nodded. **"How am I disturbing anyone? Was I laughing too loud?"**

Vivi spoke up, seemingly finished with her endless eating. "Yeah, what's the big idea? He didn't do anything wrong." Mystery barked in agreement. 

"Well his um..." The man faltered a bit at Lewis's unrelenting stare. "I -- that is --" 

**"What?"**

The man stuttered, losing all resolve and looking as though he was going to collapse on the spot. Arthur rolled his eyes. Jeez, it wasn't as though Lewis were _that_ scary. He just had a creepy voice and hollowed out, black eyes. He wasn't even looking like he usually did.  

Still, he took pity on the guy. "Well, we're just about to leave anyway. Right guys?" 

"Hmm?" Vivi stared down at her and Mystery's empty plates of food. "Oh yeah, I guess so. That okay with you, Mystery? Lewis?" 

"Bark!" 

**"Fine by me."**

"Okay then!" Arthur stood up and left a few bills on the table. "Let's go guys." 

 **"What was that all about?"** Lewis asked as they left the restaurant. 

"Nothing man. Though you may want to get a pair of sunglasses later. And a notepad or something for you to write on." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like the idea of Lewis taking on a humanoid shape to fit in with everyone else while they're in public. One thing I always thought he could never change was his eyes and his voice.
> 
> EDIT: This is pretty much what I think his laugh sounds like. 
> 
> http://snowflake-owl.tumblr.com/post/142320936254/squigglydigg-amtrax-snowflake-owl-ask-and-you


	3. Why Vivi Isn't Allowed To Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's bad dancing and then there's...this.

The police sirens seemed to echo all around them. Even as they watched, more and more firetrucks arrived to put out the rapidly growing fire. Ambulances were carting in burned and injured people, though thankfully no one managed to die. Spectators, reporters, and people who managed to get out of there just in time were watching as the dance studio burned to the ground. 

Lewis glanced at his girlfriend, who was looking at the burning building with a blank look on her face. **"Well... that could have gone better."**

"Better?" Arthur's head was in his hands. "I'm not sure how that could have gone _any worse._ Holy _shit_." 

Mystery whimpered, covering his face with a paw. 

**"Vivi? You alright?"**

Vivi didn't respond. 

Lewis placed a hand on her shoulder. **"It's alright, Viv. It wasn't that bad."**

"That bad?" Her voice was soft. "Lewis, _I accidentally summoned a demon with my horrible dancing._ " 

Arthur laughed helplessly, dragging his hands down his face. "How is that even possible? What are the chances?" 

Mystery barked. 

**"Wow, that far off huh?"**

"God I knew this was a bad idea. Why did I let you talk me into this, Lewis?" 

**"Oh come on. I thought it would be fun for all of us. You always said that you hated that you could never dance. I thought it would be a good learning exercise."**

"You sound so much like a kindergarten teacher by the way." 

**"Shut up, Arthur."**

"Well if there is any bright side to this, it's that I managed to banish the thing before it got too out of hand." Vivi sent a smug look Arthur's way. "Whose bad a magic _now_ , huh?" 

"Well considering the fact that you summoned a demon--" 

 **"Okay,"** Lewis cut in, **"no more fighting. Let's just go back to the motel and play some video games or something."**

Mystery barked and jumped up into Viv's arms. 

**"Yeah, Mario Kart sound fine. What about you guys?"**

"Sure." 

"Okay." 


	4. Why Arthur Should Always Check The Van After Every Stop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur can be lazy. This time, it backfires. 
> 
> Also, everyone becomes a potty mouth.

"They still behind us?" Arthur called out, making sure to keep his head as low as he possibly could. A bullet whizzed by his head, shattering the windshield. "Fuck!" 

**"Yeah. But we're gaining distance; we might be able to out drive them."**

"That's good. We just need to get into town and then --" The van started slowing down. "No. No no no no no, no fucking way." The front hood of the van started smoking. "You have _got_ to be kidding me." 

**"What's going -- oh shit."**

"What! What the fuck is happening?" Vivi shouted. 

"The van's engine is smoking. We're slowing down." 

" _What?!_ I thought you checked the van when we stopped at that gas station!" 

"I forgot!"

" _You forgot?!_ "

"Hey, we wouldn't be in this mess if _you_ hadn't --" 

 **"Both of you just _shut up_."** Lewis glared at the both of them before clambering to the front seat. **"Arthur, I'm driving."**  

"What are you --" Arthur stopped. "No. No, not the van, man. You know what happened when you possessed the van last time!" 

**"Well if I _don't_ possess the van, there won't _be_ a _next_ time. Move over." **

The team mechanic cursed as he crawled into the back. "Fuck. Fuck, fuckity, fuck fuck _fuck_." 

**"Language, Arthur."**

"Fuck you!" 

**"Mystery how are things going on back there? Are they catching up?"**

"Bark, bark!" 

 **"Alright."** The skin and flesh on Lewis's form began to fade, showing nothing but a floating skull. Purple flames began to surround the van. **"Everyone hold on."**  He stepped on the gas and the van shot forward, leaving a trail of purple fire in its wake. 

 

~~~~~~~Later~~~~~~~

 

 **"Okay, I think we lost them. You can come out now, guys."** Lewis stopped the van. The side door opened and the two human members of the gang spilled out onto the ground. 

"Thank God." Arthur climbed shakily to his feet. "You are _never_ driving again, Lewis." 

"That was awesome!" 

"No Vivi, that was _terrifying_!" Mystery barked in agreement from where he was curled up on the ground. 

**"Come on Arthur, don't exaggerate. I don't drive that bad."**

_"You drove us off a cliff."_

**"I knew what I was doing!"** Lewis argued. **"We were fine!"**

Arthur groaned. "It's going to take me _weeks_ to fix the van after this." 

"Oh come on Arthur." Vivi placed a hand on his shoulder. "Look on the bright side. We're alive, we managed to report that drug cartel to the police, and we still got paid! Sounds like a good day in my book!" 

Arthur looked up. "That reminds me. Viv, what did you do to piss them off?" 

"Well..." 


	5. Why Arthur Should Never Take The Elevator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur was pretty sure he saw a movie like this once.

"I _can't_ believe this is happening to me. I have a _very important meeting_ in --" 

 

Arthur tuned the complaining businessman out, trying to figure out what materials he needed to make another engine for the van. He's been meaning to give the thing an upgrade for a while now, but never really had a chance to do it. He was too busy fixing all the damage Lewis's possession put on the car. It wasn't nearly as bad as last time, but Arthur was still forced to repaint the thing and cover up all the skull imagery. 

Lewis said he hadn't meant to do that to the van, but Arthur knew that he was lying. He was obviously trying to get back at him for accidentally dousing him with that fire extinguisher. Which, in Arthur's defense, he totally hadn't meant to do. He was aiming for the small kitchen fire he had made when he was using that gas stove and had not noticed Lewis until it was too late. 

He fingered the matches in his pocket and had to stop himself from grinning like an idiot. Lewis's shocked expression was totally worth the five minutes he spent desperately trying to run away from him. 

"What is taking these policemen so long? Is this what I'm wasting my tax dollars on? I--" 

He mentally counted how much cash he and the group had in the bank. They managed to land themselves a job when a sheriff of a small town nearby needed help with a windigo problem. Then there was the money Vivi managed to get from finding that chest full of lost treasure. It wasn't much, since the pirates who buried it mostly filled it with fake gold, but there were still a few good pieces here and there. Enough to give them several hundred dollars at least. 

"I am an _important_ person with very _important_ places to be-" 

Yeah, it should be enough to give him the parts he needed. He might have to run that by with the rest of the group, though he was pretty sure they wouldn't mind. Well, _Lewis_ might not mind. Viv and Mystery would probably be sad because it would cut into their snack fund. Most of the groups's money went into feeding the two of them and their bottomless stomachs. Arthur sometimes wondered just where did all that food go. 

"This is wasting so much of my valuable time --" 

He could understand with Mystery. He was a giant magical kitsune, so normal rules didn't apply. The food probably went into some sort of stomach dimensional pocket or something. Vivi, he could never figure out how she managed to stay so thin. She should have weighed _at least_ three hundred pounds with the amount of junk food she packed away on a daily basis. Maybe -- 

" _Do you hear me?_ You'll be hearing form my _lawyers_ \--" 

"Will you just _shut up?!_ " 

It took Arthur a moment to realize that it was the man next to him to said that. He was wearing a janitor's uniform and was leaning on the elevator wall, looking as though he could fall asleep at any second. Arthur mentally thanked the guy for getting the businessman to shut up.  

The businessman looked as though he had his shoes shat on. "Excuse me? Do you know who I am?" 

"No and I don't care. Just shut up for a bit. None of us want to hear you complaining." 

" _Excuse me?_ " The businessman's voice became shrill. "You _do not_ talk to me like --" 

"You need to be quiet. No amount of yelling is going to get the police here faster." The man rubbed his eyes. "Christ I have a headache..." 

"If anything, they're probably going to take even longer," the teenage girl muttered, glaring at her phone. 

The businessman took a step forward. "Oh what would you know you little bi--" 

"Hey!" An older woman got in-between him and the girl. "You don't talk to her like that!" 

The businessman looked as though he was ready to fight. "Mind you're own --" 

"Alright, that's it. Everyone _calm down_. Jeez..." Arthur ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I know we're all stressed, but there's no reason why we should be fighting. The guy on the elevator radio said they would be here in a few more minutes, so can we just hold it together until then?" 

The teenage girl looked like she wasn't paying attention. "Is that a _robot arm_?" 

"What?" Arthur realized that he had taken his left hand out of his pocket, revealing his metal appendage. "Oh yeah." 

"That is so cool!" She looked up at him with stars in her eyes. "I didn't know there were robot arms! Where did you get it?" 

"I uh, made it myself a few years ago." 

"No way! You must be a genius or something!" 

He rubbed the back of his neck, somewhat embarrassed. "Well, I wouldn't say _that_ \--" 

"Oh please." The businessman folded his arms. "As if someone like _you_ could create something like _that_." 

He narrowed his eyes. "The hell is that supposed to mean?" 

The guy smirked and Arthur knew that he wasn't going to like what was coming out of his mouth. Fortunately, Arthur didn't have to hear it because it was at that moment that the elevator radio crackled. 

"Okay ladies and gentlemen, the firemen are here. They should be able to get you out in just a moment." 

"Thank Christ," the janitor muttered. 

"Well, it's about time! _I_ have places to be!" 

The older woman rolled her eyes. "Yeah, we know." 

There was the sound of something banging on the elevator door and Arthur heard someone call out, "Alright, pull!" The doors slowly started to open, revealing the sight of several firemen. "You guys okay?" 

The janitor spoke up from where he was sitting. "Yeah, we're good." 

"Alright, just give us a second and we should --" The elevator jerked, sending several of them stumbling. "Wait what? I thought the operator had this thing stalled? What's --" 

The elevator jerked downward, causing the firman to let go of the door. "Shit! Call up the operator and tell him to --" 

Then suddenly, the elevator was falling. 

 

~~~~~~~Later~~~~~~~

 

Arthur woke up to someone slapping him in the face. "Fuck! What the hell was that for?" 

The teenage girl snatched her arm back, looking mortified. "I'm sorry! I just wanted to get you up! That's always what they do in movies!" 

Arthur climbed to his feet, rubbing his sore cheek. That girl could really pack a wallop. "It's fine. What happened?" 

The janitor spoke up, looking far more alert than he was before. "The elevator crashed a few minutes ago. Everyone else is fine but you banged your head a bit and passed out." 

The mechanic touched the back of his head, only to hiss when he felt a flash of pain. He looked down at his hand and saw a few drops of blood. "Ow... Wait, where's the businessman?" 

"You mean the asshole?" The older woman pointed her thumb towards the slightly opened elevator door. "He left as soon as we landed. Said something about his precious meeting or whatever." 

"He left? Shouldn't we be sticking together?" Arthur peered out of the elevator. It looked like they were in a basement or something. He squeezed through the opening and the others followed suit. 

"The guy was kind of a jerk. I don't think he cared," said the girl. She was peering around her. "Why is there an elevator leading to the basement?" 

"It wasn't always a basement," the janitor said. "It used to be a whole different section of the building before it stopped being used." 

The woman was walking ahead. "Oh yeah, I think I remember. There was a murder here, right?" 

Oh shit. "A murder?" Arthur tried to keep his voice casual, but he didn't think he succeeded since the woman was giving him a confused look. 

"Yeah, I heard it from the secretary on the third floor. Some guy got murdered here and after the whole thing was cleared up, no one wanted to use this floor. Said something about it being haunted or whatever." The woman rolled her eyes. 

Fuck. It was just his luck that he managed to get himself involved on another paranormal case on accident. Why did this have to happen to him? Why not Vivi? She would absolutely love to be here! 

There were times where Arthur really wondered if he was a serial killer in a past life. 

"I think I know where the stairs are. They should be down this hallway," the janitor pointed. "I think anyway. It's kinda hard to see..." The teenager turned on the flashlight function of her phone and handed it to him. "Oh thanks." 

"Shouldn't we try to find him? I mean, the guy's probably lost." He might have been a jerk, but even he didn't deserve getting killed by a ghost. 

The woman rolled her eyes. "Oh, he'll be fine. Chances are he'll stumble on the exit sooner or later. Don't worry about it." 

"R-right... Still I think we should --" 

_"AAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUGH!"_

The scream seemed to vibrate in the air. It stopped all of them in their tracks and for a good few seconds, they didn't move a muscle. 

The janitor broke the silence. "Let's get the fuck out of here." 

"Wait, shouldn't we help him?" Arthur pointed to where the scream came from. "The guy sounds like he needs help!" 

"Well... he could be messing around. He seemed like the type who'd do that," the woman said. 

_"OH GOD SOMEONE HELP ME!"_

"That does _not_ sound like he's messing around." 

"Yeah, the cyborg is right. We should do something. He sounds like he's hurt!" 

"Yea- wait." Arthur turned to the girl. "Cyborg?" 

"Well yeah, you got a robot arm. You're part robot, therefore a cyborg," she said, as though it were blatantly obvious. 

"Dude, I just have a metal prosthetic. That doesn't mean I'm --" 

"Can we get back to the subject please?" The woman interrupted. "Why don't we just call the cops or security and they can come down and handle it?" 

"Can't. No signal." The janitor said, checking the phone. 

"Well then maybe we should go check it our ourselves." Arthur gave the area where the scream came from a nervous look. "I don't want to just leave him here if he needs help." 

"Are you kidding? What if there was something dangerous over there? I'm _not_ risking my life for that asshole." The janitor held up the phone and started walking. "Come on, let's just get out of here." After some hesitation, the woman and the girl followed him. 

Arthur looked at the direction where the scream came from and the direction the rest of the group were going in and sighed. He knew he was going to regret this. 

"You guys go ahead, I'm gonna go check it out." He turned around and ran before he could change his mind. 

He better not die from this. The Mystery Skulls did not need two ghosts on the team. 

 

~~~~~~~Later~~~~~~~

 

Arthur regretted his decision the second he started hearing the whispering. 

_Don't worry ~ Everything is fine~ Just relaaaaaaaax~_

_Come closer~ That's it~ I have a surprise for you~_

_You're trying to find your friend right~ He's over here~ Just follow the sound of my voice~_

Jesus Christ. Why did he think this was a good idea, again? 

"Someone help me! Please!" 

Oh yeah, right. Arthur started running in the voice's direction. "Don't worry man, I'm coming!" 

"Oh God, please send someone actually competent to help me!" 

Arthur glared. "You don't exactly have that many options buddy!" 

He followed the sound of the screams, trying to tune out the whispers as they grew louder and louder. Finally, he came across a tall door. "Don't worry man, I'm coming in!" He turned the doorknob, somewhat amazed that it was actually open, and ran in. 

"Aw, _shit_." 

Standing just a few feet away from him was a monster. It was tall, tall enough tat it had to bend down so that it's head wouldn't touch the ceiling. Its face reminded Arthur eerily of a scarecrow in that it was tall, dangly, and seemed to be made up of straw and dirt. It's feet was buried into the ground like a plant, while all around it tree like tentacles sprouted from the ground. It had two giant hands, big enough to hold a full grown man in. And that's where the businessman was, dangling by his legs while the monster held him upside down. 

The monster and the human stared at each other. One terrified, the other impassive. Then it _screamed_ \-- a sharp, ear splitting wail -- and threw the business man in his direction. 

Arthur couldn't get out of the way in time and got hit face first. The impact sent the two of them tumbling out of the room and into the far off wall. 

"Ow..." Arthur rubbed his head and shakily got up to his feet. Man that was going to turn into a nasty bruise. "Dude, you alright?" 

The guy muttered something that may or my not have been, "Go to hell." He couldn't tell. 

The monster roared again and Arthur started tugging at the man's arm. "Come one man, come on! We gotta go!" He pulled the guy up by his arm and started dragging him with him down the hall, the man stumbling after him. Another roar from the monster seemed to bring him to his senses and soon enough the two of them were sprinting through the halls, the monster hot on their heals. 

Despite being injured Arthur was able to keep ahead of the thing. Running from monsters was something he had gotten used to in his line of work. It helped that the thing was having a hard time running through the hallways what with how tall it was. The businessman on the other hand, was visibly struggling to keep up, wheezing all the while. So it was only inevitable that he ended up tripping. 

Arthur skidded to a halt and watched as the monster picked the guy up in its big hands. He was screaming, yelling, and threatening the thing, desperately trying to get loose. The mechanic knew he needed to get the thing's attention or else the jerk would be eaten alive. He looked around desperately for something he could throw and his eyes landed on his metal arm. 

"Well... I planned on making a new one anyways," he muttered. Quickly twisting the thing out of his metal socket he turned to the monster and yelled, "Hey asshole!" 

Amusingly enough, _both_ of them turning towards his direction. "Catch!" 

The metal arm smacked into the monster's face, surprising it enough for it to let go of its prey. The businessman fell to the ground and scrambled to his feet, running past Arthur and almost knocking him to the ground. "Out of my way!" 

"You're welcome, asshole!" Arthur ran for it. 

The two of them managed to gain some distance from the thing, but they were still running blind. Almost literally, since the place was too dark for Arthur to see much. Which is why he almost missed the vine heading straight for him. He felt the whoosh of misplaced air and instinctively ducked, causing it to slam into the wall, leaving a sizable dent. 

All around them vines started coming out of the walls, wiggling like worms in the sun. They whipped out and tried to grab for the two of them only for them to dodge by the skin of their teeth. More and more vines started coming out of the ground, reaching out to try and trip them so that the monster could catch up. 

Arthur saw a flash of purple light out of the corner of his eye. He could have sobbed form relief. "This way!" The man cursed but followed him as they ducked and dodged straight for the purple light that was getting closer and closer until -- 

_WHAM._

He slammed into someone, sending the two of them rolling across the floor. Once again, the mechanic managed to get another set of bruises. "Ow! Fuck! Lewis, thank God that you're--" 

"What the hell, man?" Arthur snapped his eyes open, coming face to face with the janitor. The woman and the teenage girl were standing off to the side and supporting the wheezing businessman. One the floor, the phone's flashlight gave off a purple light. "What -- shit, what happened to your arm?" 

Crap. _Crap_. "No time! We gotta run, _now_!" 

The woman helped him up. "where the hell where you two? We've been looking all over for you. " 

"That doesn't matter. We need to go." Arthur turned to the janitor. "Which way is the exit?" 

"Uh it's that way." He pointed to the far left. "But what are you --" 

_**"ROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAR!"** _

Arthur was running before he even realized what he was doing. Moments later, the rest of his makeshift group caught up with him. 

"What the hell is that? What's going on?" The girl called out. 

The businessman snarled. "It's a fucking _monster_!" 

"But there's no such thing as --" The monster came running into view. "Ohshitit'samonster!" 

Vines started whipping into view and suddenly everyone was screaming and frantically dodging for their lives. 

By some miracle they managed to reach the stairwell unharmed. Arthur wrenched the door open and they all started frantically climbing the stairs. The vines followed, sprouting from the walls and curling around the railings. 

He tried to open the door. "Oh shit, it's locked." 

"Hold on!" The janitor slipped a shaking hand in his pocket and took out a ring filled with keys. "Shit!" 

"Oh God, oh God, oh God," the woman chanted. 

"I don't want to get killed by a tree monster! I never even had my first kiss yet!" The girl looked close to tears. 

The mechanic closed his eyes and concentrated. _Think Arthur, think. What would your friends do in this situation?_

Vivi would have examined the thing and figured out its weak points. What weak points did it have? It was tall, slow, and made of wood and straw. Maybe fire? Fire usually worked when it came to the monsters they faced, if Lewis was any indication. 

Where would he get fire though? And how would he be able to spread it enough to kill the damn thing? 

His eyes strayed to the janitor, who was frantically flipping through keys. He noticed something big in the guy's back pocket that looked awfully like a -- 

"Dude, quick! Give me your flask!" 

The janitor clutched that thing like it was a lifeline. "Not fucking way! If we're going to die _I_ want the final sip!" 

"Just hand it over!" he yelled, snatching it out of the man's hands. The monster had just come into view now, it's giant hands now tipped with sharp claws. Someone started crying. 

Arthur tried to come up with a good one-liner in his head... but instead just threw the flask full of whiskey at the monster, figuring that now was not the time. The thing growled and before it could lung at him, he reached into his pocket and took out the book of matches. Quickly lighting one, he flicked it at the monster. 

The monster lit up like fireworks on the Fourth of July.

Within seconds the fire had completely spread across its large body, turning its wood like skin into a charred black color. It roared in pain as the fire ate away at its makeshift flesh, vines wiggling all around them. It frantically tried to pat out the fire, but that only made it spread faster. Pretty soon large sections of its body were crumbling, turning into dust as it slowly fell to its knees and collapsed. 

The vines wiggled a few more times before drawing still. Everyone was shocked silent for a moment, until --

"Oh my God, I _can't_ believe that worked!" 

 

~~~~~~~Later~~~~~~~

 

**"Arthur! What happened to you?"**

"Are you okay? 

"Bark, bark!" 

Arthur walked into the motel looking as fucked up as he possibly could be. His head was bleeding, his metal arm was gone (again), he was covered in soot, his clothes were torn all to hell, and he was pretty sure he had a few burns here and there. Still, at least he was alive. 

"It's a long story, guys. Just... remind me to _never_ take an elevator, _ever again_." 

 


	6. Why Mystery Shouldn't Stray From The Group

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You know what they say: curiosity killed the dog... kitsune...thing.

Mystery should have known that those treats were false. 

Stupid false treats, tempting him with their deliciousness. They looked and tasted so good, but they only led him into a trap. Now, he was kidnapped. 

The hidden kitsune wiggled and writhed, trying to escape the ropes that he was tied up in. The worst part was that the anti-magical circle meant that he couldn't turn into his true form. How frustrating. 

He flopped on the ground while the warlocks laughed manically. They were saying something about how _the world was their's_  or something alone those lines. He didn't know, he wasn't paying attention. 

He wasn't sure if it was arrogance or pride in their abilities; either way, Mystery knew that his friends would come and get him. Until then, he had to wait here and listen to these idiots go _on_ and _on_ about world domination. 

One of them was in the middle of talking about what he would do to all those who had opposed him in the past when he was interrupted by a ball of purple fire. The man's hair was quickly set aflame and he started screaming, stumbling around and desperately trying to pat it down. 

Consequently, the man ended up smudging the writing in the magical circle, breaking the enchantment. 

Mystery grinned up at the warlocks with a mouth full of teeth, who all paled and started to run. 

They didn't get far. 

 

~~~~~~~Later~~~~~~~

 

**"I think we may have gone a bit too far."**

"You're one to talk, dude. You set five of them on fire." 

**"I set their _hair_ on fire. _You_ ran three of them over with the van." **

"Yeah, I have to agree with him, Arthur. That was a bit excessive." 

"What? Vivi, you stomped on their crotches!  _Repeatedly_." 

"Yeah, but I didn't _run them over._ " 

Arthur huffed and turned back to the road. "Well, those bastard deserved it. Kidnapping Mystery like that..." 

In the back seat, being petted by vivi, Mystery gave a smug bark before idly licking some of the blood off his claws. 


	7. Why Arthur and Vivi Shouldn't Buy Things Off Street Corners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> These types of items always end up faulty.

**"Do I... want to know what was going on in here?"**

"Uh..." Vivi looked like a deer in headlights. "We can explain! Um.." 

"Vivi and I thought it would be cool to test out a pair of anti-ghost handcuffs." 

**"...why?"**

Arthur opened his mouth to answer, only to not say anything for a moment. "...I'm not sure. It seemed like a good idea at the time." 

Vivi yanked her hand, almost causing Arthur to fall into her. "We can't get them off! Can you go get Mystery?" 

"Ow, Viv! 

"Sorry..." 

 **"Um, where did you two get these?"** Lewis poked the handcuffs. **"Pretty sure they don't sell them at stores."**

"We got them off of a wandering magician," Arthur said. "He was standing outside the movie theater and selling things to anyone who could see him." 

**"What do you mean?"**

"He had this spell around him that made him invisible to anyone who hadn't witnessed some form of supernatural phenomenon. It was a rather fascinating spell, though he wouldn't tell me how to perform it." Vivi pouted. "He did sell us all kinds of cool things though!" 

**"Like...?"**

"These handcuffs, for one." Arthur shook his hand for emphasis. 

"Yeah.. can you get Mystery, Lewis? I need to go to the bathroom." Vivi shifted on the bed, clamping her legs together. 

"And I need to fix the van." 

**"Mystery isn't here."**

_"What?!"_ they yelled in unison. 

**"Yeah, he ran off a few hours ago. Said something about meeting some old friends of his."**

Vivi brightened. "Old friends? Did he say who? Maybe we should have gone with him, I would love to meet friends of Mystery!" 

**"Well--"**

"Can we we get back to the main problem here?" The mechanic shook his handcuffed arm for emphasis. "How long is he going to be gone?" 

**"He said he'll be back tomorrow morning."**

_"What?!"_

**"Do you guys practice that or something?"**

"We _can't_ be stuck like this until tomorrow! I don't want Arthur to see me naked!" 

"And I don't want Lewis to kill me if I see you naked!" 

**"I'm right here guys. And I won't kill you, Arthur."**

"Really?" 

**"Well, I might fry you a bit..."**

"Lewis!" 

The ghost held up his hands. **"Okay, okay. Look, let me see if I can get you two out."**

"But they're ghost proof, Lewis. The magician specifically said that no ghost could phase through these--" 

Lewis reached over and -- with a with a quick flick of his fingers -- snapped the chain holding the two cuffs together. 

"--oh." 

"Thanks man! Can you..." Lewis broke the cuff surrounding Arthur's wrist and let the broken pieces fall to the floor. He did the same for Vivi. "Awesome. I forgot how freakishly strong you are." 

Vivi picked up the pieces and frowned. "You'd think they would be able to weaken a ghost's strength as well." 

Arthur shrugged. "Eh, that's what you get for buying magical items off the street corner." 


	8. Why Vivi Shouldn't Get Sick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being sick sucks for everyone but Vivi.

Vivi burrowed herself into the covers and paid no attention to the world around her.

She was invisible, a ghost -- well okay, not a ghost. 

She was a chameleon, blending in with the background. No one could see her. No one could hear her, for she was as quiet and sneaky as a ninja. She was -- 

"Viv, get out of the blankets." She could feel someone tugging at her sanctuary, but she held on. She would not be moved. 

"Come on Viv, it's like three in the morning. Let's just get this over with already, I'm so tired." Some more tugging. It was clear that she needed to take evasive maneuvers. 

Quickly, before her opponent could react, she curled herself in a ball. Wrapping the blankets around herself, she fell off of the bed and started rolling for the exit. 

"Are you serious?" 

She was going to escape! Nothing could stop her now. 

**"I'll get her."**

She yelped as she felt someone pick her up and started squirming. To her horror, she felt the grip on her person only get tighter the more she tried to struggle. What madness was this? 

"Thanks Lewis." She heard retreating footsteps. "I'm going to bed." 

**"No problem. Come on Vivi, your delirious. We need to get you to the hospital."**

She poked her head out of her sanctuary. "NEVER!" 

The cruel fiend sighed. **"Why are you always like this when you get sick?"**  

"I know not of the cruel words you speak of, fiend!" 

**"Right. Off to the hospital you go."**

In a last ditch attempt, she stretched out her hand towards her faithful companion. "Mystery, my dearest friend! Help me!" 

Her noble steed raised his head from where he lay on the cold hard ground, stared at her... and then went back to sleep. 

"MYSTERY NOOOOOOO! HOW COULD YOU BETRAY ME SO?" 

The cruel fiend sighed once more. **"I knew that date in the rain was going to bite me later."**


	9. Why Lewis Buys Children Books

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "This is so adorable and sweet that it almost makes me wanna throw up."

Being a ghost came with its fair set of...complications. The whole never eating, drinking, sleeping thing for one. The fact that he could never hide his eyes and voice no matter how hard he tried. And how he always found himself floating instead of walking. But that wasn't to say that there weren't any good things about being a ghost.

As a matter of fact, the first thing that came to mind when he thought about the things he loved as a ghost was the Deadbeats. 

Lewis never really talked about those first few years as a ghost. And none of his friends really brought it up or even mentioned it. He wasn't sure why; at the very least he thought Vivi would be the one to ask him about it. But she never did. Maybe it's because they thought he would be mad about it? He wouldn't blame them. From their perspective a large portion of his life as a ghost was spent being angry about something or another. His death, mostly. 

But to be honest... Lewis couldn't remember much about those first few years. His memory was really spotty and vague when he thought about that time. Most because during that period of his life, he wasn't doing much thinking. All of the emotions -- the anger, hatred, fear, and sadness -- seemed to just take over his brain. He was drowning in it, drowning in all of the pain that his death had become.

Everything was so raw, so painful that he couldn't help but get lost in his own head. Time was so hard to keep track of; the months felt like water. And overtime when he thought he would rise above it, something -- a stray memory, a wayward thought -- would send him crashing back again. What's worse was that he couldn't seem to control it, couldn't seem to break free from his own mind. It was kinda like being trapped, only inside your head. And there was nothing you could do to fight it. 

Then the Deadbeats arrived. 

Even now, Lewis wasn't sure whether or not he created them. They just showed up one day and started taking priority in his life. They were so chaotic; like children and pets all rolled up into one. They demanded his attention at every turn, wanted him to play games, sing songs, tell them stories. Their constant demands for notice are what helped him finally break free from the emotions surround his death. Little by little they helped him out of his mind, until he could think clearly again. 

It mainly for those reasons -- as well as how utterly adorable they are -- that Lewis loved them so much. 

It was also the reason why he bought so many children books. They liked a good bedtime story before bed, even though they ever slept. 

 

~~~~~~~Meanwhile~~~~~~~

 

"Psst. Arthur." 

The mechanic moaned in his sleep, and huddled into the covers. 

"Arthur, wake up." 

He felt something poking him on his side and absentmindedly brushed it away. 

"Arthur!" 

Something was trying to draw him away from sleep... but what? 

"Arthur, wake up!" 

_SMACK._

"Ow!" Arthur shot up from the bed, and blearily stared up at the blue figure hovering above him. "Viv, what the hell?" 

"Arthur, you have to come see what Lewis is doing!" she whisper yelled. "Eeeeeeeee, it's so _adorable~_ " 

"Ugh. Do I _have_ to?" 

_"Yes!"_

"Fine..." Arthur reluctantly climbed out of bed. "Let's just hurry it up, alright?" 

"Wow, _someone's_ grumpy today." 

"Vivi, it's _three in the morning._ " 

Vivi huffed. "I don't see you're point. Now, shush! You don't want them to hear us!" She quietly opened Lewis's door. 

"Look", Arthur whispered, "I don't see what's --" 

 **"...ate through one apple. But he was still hungry. On Tuesday, he at through two pears. But he was still..."**  

Lewis was sitting in the middle of the bed, reading a children's book aloud. Surrounding him were at least twenty Deadbeats, all of different shapes and sizes, huddled close to him and the book he was reading. Some were even hanging on his shoulders and one or two were resting on his head. They were all staring at Lewis with the most focused looks on their faces as he slowly read out line by line. Beside the bed and on the floor were dozens of children books stacked together. 

Arthur couldn't look away. "Oh my God." 

Vivi was grinning. "I know right?!" 

" _Please_ tell me you're recording this." 

Vivi scoffed and held up an already recording camera. " _Way_ ahead of you, Arthur." 

The two of them watched as Lewis -- in all of this ghostly, terrifying glory -- read out several children books to a group of pillow case ghosts. 

Arthur couldn't help but smile. "Aww... this is so adorable and sweet that it almost makes me wanna throw up." 

Vivi sighed and flashed him a dirty look. "Way to ruin the moment Arthur." 

**"I can hear you two, you know."**

_"Crap!"_ The two of them ran for it. 

"Tell us another one!" 

"Yeah! More!"

"More!"

**"Alright guys, settle down. Now, here's a classic: The Cat in the Hat."**

"Yaaay!"


	10. Why The Deadbeats Should Not Have Access To Electric Razors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You need to watch your ghosts better, Lewis.

*ring* 

"Oh sorry, Lewis. I have to take this." 

The ghost shrugged. **"It's fine."**

Vivi answered. "Hello?" She yanked the phone away from her ear as loud yelling came from the phone. "Jeez Arthur, stop yelling! You almost burst an eardrum!" She cautiously brought it back to her ear. "Now slow down. What exactly is going on?" She listened for a minute, before handing the phone to Lewis. "He wants to talk to you." 

**"Why? What's going on?"**

"He didn't say. He just wanted to talk to you." She frowned. "Did you do something to him?" 

 **"No."** He raised the phone to his ear. **"Arthur? What's wrong?"**  

"Lewis, you undead _motherfucker_. Did you tell the Deadbeats to do this?"

**"What?"**

_"Did you tell the Deadbeats to do this?"_

**"I have no idea what you're talking about, man! What did they do?"**

Arthur didn't say anything for a moment. Then the phone started to vibrate, indicating that there was a message. Lewis clicked on it, feeling more than a bit confused. 

Lewis had sent him a picture. A picture of Arthur and -- 

**"Pffft."**

"Lewis! It's not funny!" 

 **"Oh my God..."** Lewis tried to stop himself from laughing, but couldn't keep it in. 

"What is it?" Vivi asked. 

Lewis wordlessly showed her the picture, trying desperately not to break out in laughter. 

"What is... _whoa_. Holy shit Arthur, what happened to your _hair_?" 

"Lewis and his stupid fucking ghost pets shaved it off in my sleep!" 

Lewis couldn't keep it in anymore and burst out laughing, Vivi following shortly after. 

Arthur, who was listening to his best friends laugh at his misery over the phone, furiously ended the call. "Assholes. God, this is gonna take _forever_ to grow back out." 

Behind him, the Deadbeats were busy playing around with chunks of his hair. One particular Deadbeat was holding a razor and was slowly creeping up on a sleeping Mystery. 


End file.
